Trek Armenia: The Transcaucasian Trail

10 days
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Small Group Tour
Follow the spectacular Transcaucasian trail through the stunning mountain ranges of Armenia on this world-class, long-distance hike that traverses one of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions in the world – and few have had the chance to explore. Feast your eyes upon the dramatic gorges and rocky canyons of the Vayots Dzor province, witness bea...

Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Basic - 2 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

    • Be captivated by the Caucasus as your traverse through the mighty mountain range that unites Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
    • Take a walking tour of Yerevan and visit the sites, experience the culture and listen to the legends and stories surrounding this fascinating city.
    • Explore the dramatic gorges and rocky canyons of the province of Vayots Dzor in Armenia on this 110-kilometre trek.
    • Discover the architectural beauty of the UNESCO-listed Noravank Monastery, nestled peacefully in a picturesque valley and surrounded by red-hued cliffs.
    • Support the local non-profit organisation working to develop a world-class hiking trail that connects diverse communities and ecosystems, providing lasting and wide-ranging benefits for people and the environment.

What's this trip about?

    Follow the spectacular Transcaucasian trail through the stunning mountain ranges of Armenia on this world-class, long-distance hike that traverses one of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions in the world – and few have had the chance to explore. Feast your eyes upon the dramatic gorges and rocky canyons of the Vayots Dzor province, witness beautiful Armenian architecture at the UNESCO listed Noravank Monastery and indulge in a delicious drop or two as you navigate your way through one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Follow over 3000 kilometres of trail through the impressive scenery of the Great Caucasus and join the community of international hikers helping to put this intriguing region on the map.

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - max of 12 people
Age range15 years and up
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityOperator does not provide
End CityOperator does not provide

Travel Themes

  • Hiking & Walking
  • Trekking & Expeditions

Destinations

  • Asia
  • Armenia

Activities

  • Hiking
  • Trekking

Popular Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Yerevan

Welcome to Yerevan, Armenia – a city of contrasts. From the top-of-the-range sports cars and European-style wine bars, to vintage vehicles and old-fashioned tea houses, Armenia’s capital sees a mix of Soviet-era architecture among a wealth of gardens and parks and a m...

Day 2 Hors Village

After breakfast, enjoy a guided walking tour around the vibrant capital of Armenia, where the ancient culture is mixed with modern lifestyle and great traditions – although the city’s roots date back more than 2800 years, it still manages to keep up with the latest tr...

Day 3 Yeghegis-Areni

After a hearty breakfast, follow cattle trails and dirt tracks among rocky crags and mountain pastures high above the Yeghegis Valley. Rounding the southern flanks of Mt Gandzakar, descend towards the cavernous Arpa River valley, which splits the province of Vayots Dz...

Day 4 Gnishik

Today’s hike delves deep into Gnishik Gorge, also known as Noravank Gorge after the provisionally UNESCO-listed monastery that sits beneath its cliffs. Take an early drive to the monastery to enjoy the peace, and perhaps spot a herd of the wild Bezoar goats that frequ...

Day 5 Martiros

The morning’s hike will take you out of the Gnishik river basin and over a panoramic mountain pass into the valley beyond. On the way down, explore the ruined hillside village of Horadis, abandoned in Soviet times due to the difficulty of providing modern infrastructu...

Day 6 Gomk

Today’s hike is relatively short. Begin by exploring the old village of Martiros, a once-important settlement whose founding is recorded on a khachkar dating back to 1283AD, before visiting a unique rock-hewn cave church at the foot of nearby Mount Gogi. From here, fo...

Day 7 Artavan

This morning’s hike is perhaps the hardest of the trek, with a steep climb up an ancient stone staircase to the top of nearby Kapuyt Gorge – but the effort is more than worth it for the panoramic views at the top, as well as a truly spectacular cliff-ledge traverse ab...

Day 8 Artavan

Drop your bags at a local homestay in Artavan village before making a loop of the nearby meadows and mountains, visiting several points of interest along the way, including waterfalls, lakes, tomb fields, and the ruins of an ancient fortress on a rock outcrop – which ...

Day 9 Yerevan

Enjoy a sleep in this morning, the after a relaxed breakfast at your homestay, hit the road and take a tour of a renowned small-scale winery in the region for tour and degustation. Proceed to the famous Areni cave where the world’s oldest leather shoe was found. The s...

Day 10 Yerevan

Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast and you are free to leave at any time today.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $1,765
Price per day$177
Last Updated: 12/2/2021

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Intrepid Travel.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Intrepid Travel

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The Intrepid Travel Experience

If you’re looking for adventure, you’ve come to the right place. For the past 25 years, we’ve been taking small groups of travelers on unforgettable trips around the world. What makes them unforgettable? Take a look for yourself and discover the Intrepid experience.

Our travelers have three styles of tour to choose from: Basix, Original and Comfort. Each has a different level of inclusions and accommodation, but all have unforgettable real life experiences as part of the package. Travellers can also choose themed trips, such as Family, Sailing or Food, to suit their interests.

Our group size has an average of just ten travellers, which allows us to get off the beaten track, use local accommodation and transport, and really get to know the culture. It also ensures we are contributing to the local economy; by choosing local suppliers we were able to keep AUD 60 million in local economies in 2012. We’re also working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and were the first in our sector to introduce carbon offset trips. This, along with our many corporate sustainability activities, has meant we’re one of the travel industry’s leaders in responsible travel.

Why Intrepid?

  •   Small groups - average of 10 people per trip
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Intrepid Travel has come a long way since its beginnings in 1989. From two university friends, a typewriter and a kitchen desk, it is now a proud member of The Intrepid Group, taking over 100,000 travelers every year.

Intrepid Travel is part of The Intrepid Group of companies, alongside leading small group adventure companies Peregrine, Urban Adventures and PEAK DMC.

Despite growing into a global business with over 1,000 staff based all over the world and over 800 different trips across every continent, we’ve remained devoted to the same grassroots values and responsible travel philosophies that we had at the very beginning.

 

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On every trip we operate and in every interaction we have with a client, supplier or local, we live our core values everyday:

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Why we love this operator
They’re very committed to sustainable and responsible tourism and contribute to important initiatives like climate action.
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Logistics

Accommodation

Standard Hotel (2 nights) Guesthouses (5 nights) Wild Camping (2 nights),

Transportation & Flights

Private Vehicle,Trekking,

Transportation & flights

Private Vehicle,Trekking
Guides
All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you were interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip. This trek is lead by the expereinced crew of Transcaucasian Trail Tourism Support NGO of Armenia.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your leader. If you have credit card insurance your group leader will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number, and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and your credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. Travellers who reside within the European Union or Switzerland receive basic international health insurance, so travel insurance is not mandatory under European Union Law. However, as this does not cover situations such as emergency rescues, private health care, or repatriation to their home country, comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended. European Union or Swiss travellers who decline travel insurance when travelling outside of their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form at the Group Meeting. For assistance with travel insurance or other services, please visit the link below: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-resources/our-services
Visa requirements
PASSPORT You will need a valid passport to travel internationally. As a general rule, most countries require that your passport has a minimum of 6 months validity remaining. Your passport details are required to complete your booking. Please ensure the name on your passport matches the name on your booking and airline tickets exactly and contact us immediately if there are any errors. We recommend taking copies of the main passport pages and other important documents with you as well as leave copies at home with family or friends. VISAS Visas are the responsibility of the individual traveller. Entry requirements can change at any time. It is important that you check your government's foreign travel advisories along with the consular website of the country or countries you are travelling to for the most up to date information specific to your nationality and circumstances. Please be aware that not all visa information found online from other sources may be valid while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Visas can take several weeks to process, so make sure you research the requirements as soon as you have booked your trip to allow for obtaining any necessary documents as well as the application and processing time. Your booking consultant can advise on a visa processing service or you can apply yourself directly through a consulate. Below you will find general visa advice about the destinations on your trip. Due to constantly evolving COVID-19 requirements and restrictions, please refer to your government's foreign travel advice for most up to date information. ARMENIA VISA: Many countries including Australia, New Zealand, UK and the USA are no longer required to obtain a visa for visits to Armenia up to 180 days in duration. Nationalities requiring a visa to enter Armenia are listed in the drop down menu on the following link and subsequent application for  E-Visas are available.  https://evisa.mfa.am/check-eligibility Please use the address of your finishing point hotel for the Contact Information in Armenia. You will need to upload a scanned passport sized photo and a passport copy to complete your application. In the case that the website is down, it may be possible to obtain a visa on arrival at the land border. Please check http://www.mfa.am/en/visa/ for the list of nationalities that are allowed to apply visa on arrival.
Health & Safety
Most national governments provide regularly updated foreign travel advice on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all destinations and activities on your trip. Please refer to our website's safety page for links to major travel advisories and updates on safety issues affecting our trips here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/travel-alerts We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe-keeping of your passport, flight tickets, cash and other valuable items. Leave your jewellery at home - you won't need it while travelling. Many of our hotels have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. Your leader will accompany you on all included activities, however, during your trip you'll have some free time to pursue your own interests or relax and take it easy. While your leader will assist you with the available options in a given location, please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your Intrepid itinerary, and Intrepid makes no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgement when selecting an activity in your free time. Please also note that your Leader has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it's deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Intrepid's operational safety policies can be viewed on our website at the link below. We recommend that you take a moment to read through this information before travelling, and would appreciate any feedback on how safety is being managed on our trips. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/safety-guidelines In case of emergency the group guide has connection with the support team in the nearest village/town. The support team is equipped with 4X4 UAZ automobiles, motorcycles and horses. The nearest settlements between day treks are: Agahavnadzor, Areni, Gnishik, Martiros, Gomk, Vayk, Yeghegnadzor, Khachik, Artavan settlements. Arpa Protected Landscape’s rangers are always informed about group hikes and are ready to help in any case.
Age Requirements
15 years and up
Additional Information
Finish point Ani Central Inn Hotel 20 Tigran Mets Avenue Yerevan ARMENIA Phone: +374 10540708 Fax: +374 10545000
Trip ID
intrepid-KFBE

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